In March's Idea Nest, we'll explore the wind. Wind is something that is so magical for children, yet we often forget that we can study it because it's invisible. When Miss H was not quite four, we made paper kites and took them outside to fly them on a windy day. For Spring Tinkergarten two years ago, we made hand kites to explore the wind. It doesn't take anything elaborate to get your child enjoying and exploring a windy day! In this post, I'll explain how to make a simple hand kite out of ribbon and a mason jar ring.
Using a mason jar ring makes these less expensive than using a thick wooden ring that you can buy at a craft store. I think it would cost less than $10 to make several of these (as opposed to $15 each online!) I also like the upcycling component, which I look for in a lot of the handicrafts that we make!
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Make A Simple Hand Kite
You will need:
- ribbon (in whatever colors you'd like- I used rainbow colors)
- the outer ring of a Mason jar
Directions:
1. Cut the ribbon into about 18 inch long strips. I used six different colors and a total of six ribbons. Make sure to cut the ribbon at a diagonal with sharp scissors to reduce fraying.
2. Tie the ribbon around the mason jar ring in a double knot. Do this with all of the ribbons that you'll use.
3. Arrange all of the ribbons so that they are next to each other. All done! (See? So simple!)
Related: Making the Most Out of Outdoor Play in the Early Years
Exploring the Wind With Hand Kites
This is an open-ended toy with so many possibilities, but taking these hand kites outside on a windy day is by far our favorite way to play with them. We like to see the direction from which the wind comes by watching the different colored ribbons float away.
We also like to run with these hand kites, to see how quickly we can get the ribbons to fly out horizontally behind us.
Hand kites also make fun decorations, or quiet wind chimes, when hung up vertically.
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